Ice cream flavor chosen to mark 175th anniversary
Student workers from left, Aaditya Mehta, Shubh Oswal and Aman Jain fill three-gallon buckets of 175 S’more Years ice cream at Babcock Hall Dairy Plant. Photo by Michael P. King/UW-Madison CALS
The voters have spoken: 175 S’more Years will be the commemorative ice cream flavor for the University of Wisconsin’s 175th anniversary celebration.
UW–Madison’s Babcock Hall Dairy Plant has already begun mixing batches of the rich chocolate ice cream with a marshmallow swirl and graham cracker crunch. It will be available on campus beginning today and at select local retailers after that.
“With all its educational and research achievements in the past 175 years, the University of Wisconsin has improved the lives of Wisconsinites and people everywhere in big and small ways,” said Charles Hoslet, vice chancellor for university relations at UW–Madison. “What better way to celebrate that than with a generous scoop of 175 S’more Years?”
Voters were asked to choose one of four flavors in an online poll in early October, and 8,438 votes were cast. The other options were Demi Semi Confetti, Demi-Semi-Sweet-Centennial and Flamingos on the Hill.
Student employees help produce dairy products at Babcock Hall Dairy Plant. The plant, which reopened this year after renovations of its nearly 29,000 gross square feet, is a laboratory and learning facility for students, university researchers and dairy industry personnel.
The plant has produced more than 200 unique ice cream flavors and 20 varieties of cheese since its founding.
Half-gallon containers of 175 S’more Years ice cream are filled and packaged. The new flavor is being made in celebration of the university’s 175th anniversary. Photo by Michael P. King/UW-Madison CALS
July 2023 marked 175 years since Wisconsin’s first governor and legislature created the University of Wisconsin. Since then, the state’s very first public university has been a constant trailblazer, leading the way in everything from ground-breaking research discoveries to defining cultural movements.
UW–Madison is honoring these historic moments as part of a year-long celebration that began July 26, 2023 — 175 years to the day since the university was created. Programming will run through May 2024 and includes annual traditions, such as Homecoming and Founder’s Day, as well as anniversary events that will take the Badger spirit to counties across Wisconsin.
